Rayman 2: The Great Escape
Rayman 2: The Great Escape is a platform game and the sequel to Rayman. It was developed by Ubisoft and first released on October 29, 1999. It is considered to have raised standards regarding 3D, level design and game play, being praised by numerous reviews. It was first released for the Nintendo 64, PC, Dreamcast and PlayStation, and was later adapted for the PlayStation 2 as Rayman 2: Revolution (Rayman: Revolution in Europe), the Game Boy Color as Rayman 2 Forever, the Nintendo DS as Rayman DS, and for iPhone/iPod Touch as Rayman 2: The Great Escape. The game has also been released on Nintendo 3DS as Rayman 3D. The game has been mentioned on several "Best Games Of All Time" lists. Setting The game centers on the invasion of the world where the game takes place (the Glade of Dreams) by robot pirates from outer space. In order to repair the damage to the world and defeat the invasion force, Rayman has to collect 1000 pieces (800 in the PS1 version) of the world's core (called Lums) and reunite four magical masks which will awaken Polokus, the world's spirit. Polokus has gone into hiding a long time ago, however as he is the creator of "all that is and will be," he is the world's last hope. Plot Rayman 2 takes place in a world called The Glade of Dreams. An army of Robot Pirates, led by Admiral Razorbeard, invades this world and destroys the Heart of the World, the world core. This greatly weakens the resistance's power and disables Rayman's powers, leading to his capture. Globox, a friend of Rayman, is later also captured and put in the same cell as Rayman aboard the Pirates' prison ship. Globox restores one of his powers through a silver lum given to him by Ly, a fairy. Rayman escapes the prison ship, and is separated from Globox again. He learns that in order to stand a chance against the Pirates, he needs to find 4 ancient, magic masks to awaken Polokus, the spirit of the world. He travels through the Glade of Dreams via the Hall of Doors, a magical place linked to various locations in the world, controlled by the ancient Teensies. In the course of the game, Rayman frees Globox who had been captured again, and they continue together for a short while until Globox departs again to go find his family. Later, Rayman finds Globox's wife Uglette and learns that he has been imprisoned on the Prison Ship. Rayman also encounters his friend Clark, a strongman who has stomach problems due to eating rusty pirates; to continue through the level, Rayman has to cure Clark by means of an elixir. Eventually, Rayman recovers the four masks and awakens Polokus, who makes quick work of the pirates on land. In the air however, he has no power, and Rayman is tasked to dispose of the Pirates' Prison Ship, where Admiral Razorbeard also has his headquarters. In a final battle Rayman fights Razorbeard, who is controlling a giant robot, the Grolgoth. Eventually Rayman destroys the robot and while Razorbeard escapes in a small escape pod, the Prison Ship explodes. Rayman is presumed dead and only one of his shoes is found, but during his funeral, he appears again, walking on a crutch. Narrative The game is played from a third person perspective and the player has control over the camera, though in some situations this control is limited to only certain angles. At several points in the game the player loses control during cut scenes, which typically show dialogue between characters. The gameplay is also interrupted by a cut scene taking place in Admiral Razorbeard's room aboard the prison ship several times. During these scenes, Rayman is not present. By collecting lums, the player unlocks more information about the game world and its back story, which can be read by standing still and pressing a specific button for some time. Some back story is also obtained through (optional) instructions from Murfy, a "flying encyclopedia[12]" who provides explanations on all kinds of gameplay elements. Gameplay In contrast to its predecessor, which was a 2D platformer, Rayman 2 is a 3D platformer. The player navigates through a mostly linear sequence of levels, fighting enemy Robo-Pirates, solving puzzles and collecting lums. Collecting enough lums gains the player access to new parts of the world. Part of the lums are hidden in small cages, in which other freedom fighters or Teensies are imprisoned, and can be obtained by breaking the cages. Whilst starting the game with minimal abilities, Rayman can gain more abilities as the game progresses. The main weapon available in the game is Rayman's fist, with which energy orbs can be shot. The orbs can be charged before shooting them, making them more powerful. Rayman can also enter a strafing stance allow him to easily aim orbs whilst avoiding enemy attacks. Rayman later gets the ability to swing across 'Ring Lums' to clear large gaps. Rayman is also able to use his helicopter hair to slow his descent whilst jumping, with some segments later in the game allowing him to fly with his hair. There are also various items Rayman can use throughout the game, such as explosive barrels he can throw, giant plums he can ride on to carry him across dangerous surfaces, and rockets he must ride on in order to access new areas. In addition to the main, story-based level sequence, there are also several levels in which the player can gain bonuses in a time trial. Additionally, by collecting all lums and breaking all cages in a level, the player unlocks a bonus level in which one of Globox's children races against a robot pirate. When the player controlling the child wins the race, Rayman gains full health. Versions Rayman 2 was released on a wide variety of platforms. There are several differences between the versions and different names. PC The PC version, entitled Rayman 2: The Great Escape, features the sharpest graphics due to semi-high resolution support, compared to the Nintendo 64 and the Dreamcast versions of the product. It is compatible with computers ranging from around the year of 1999 to the present day, although it can sometimes be hard to get the game to run on Windows XP or Vista. Fan-made patches have been released to correct some of the problems that occur on more recent configurations. The game cannot be installed on 64-bit computers, because theDRM in the installation disc is 16-bit. On May 26, 2011, GOG.com re-released Rayman 2: The Great Escape for the PC. This version was made to be compatible with Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7. Also, a digital version of the game's soundtrack has been included as bonus content, among others. Dreamcast and Nintendo 64 Entitled Rayman 2: The Great Escape, these two versions are very similar. The Dreamcast version has several exclusive mini-games and changes to the world map and final battle. Hidden crystals are used to unlock the mini-games. PlayStation The PlayStation version was developed by Ubisoft Shanghai, and it was the first one to have the characters speaking real languages (English, French, German, Spanish and Italian) instead of gibberish. Numerous level design changes were made, and some levels were just removed altogether. The entrance to "The Cave of Bad Dreams" is no longer in "The Marshes of Awakening", but instead, in "The Menhir Hills". There are only 800 Yellow Lums in this version and the number remains the same all through the game (The scene with Razorbeard eating one of the Yellow Lums was changed so that he would eat a Red one instead). Some exclusive characters are present in this version, including the pirate assassin Ninjaws, and characters that didn't have speaking roles in the other versions, such as the guardians Axel, Umber, and Foutch, now speak to Rayman in their own exclusive cutscenes when he confronts them. Axel and Foutch are misguided and think Rayman is a thief but Umber knows he isn't. It is no longer possible to choose between the treasure and the elixir in The Cave of Bad Dreams, since the player is given no interaction in the respective cutscene, and Rayman automatically chooses the elixir. Additionally, this version features an exclusive mini-game for players who collect 90% of the Yellow Lums (which is actually a 2D prototype of Rayman 2). Rayman 2 was later released as a PS one Classic on PlayStation Network on December 18, 2008 in North America and on July 28, 2010 in Europe. PlayStation 2 Titled Rayman: Revolution (Rayman 2: Revolution in North America), this PS2 version of Rayman 2 was released a year after The Great Escape. It features some enhancements including new levels, some level revisions, a few new music tracks, three new bosses, Lum redistribution and an enhanced cameo from the first Rayman game's mosquito mini-boss, Bzzit (the son of the villainous Moskito). The Hall of Doors is replaced by three central hubs in which to walk freely and discover the game (although there are portals in a place called The Teensie Circle that appears in all three hubs that the player can use to warp straight to levels or other hubs if they're too lazy to go through the long route. However, they must beat either at least once to unlock the portals that take them to their respective levels or hubs). Also, this is the only version in which the 1,000th Yellow Lum can be obtained normally, as opposed to being a super-secret hidden Lum in the Tomb of the Ancients. Instead, the player obtains the 1,000th Lum the minute they get the Lumz Radar after beating Clark, a PS2 exclusive gadget that helps the player find any missed Yellow Lums. A major upgrade for this version was that most 2-D objects featured in The Great Escape were replaced with 3D models. The real speech also returns, but it is optional in this version, so the player can choose between the gibberish present in most versions of the game (Raymanian) or the real languages in the main menu options. However, the frame rate is also far lower than the smooth 60 frames per second rate of the Sega Dreamcast version. Also, whenever the player revisits levels, the music in most parts of them is replaced with ambiance. They also can't revisit The Woods of Light or The Cave of Bad Dreams either. Game Boy Color Titled Rayman 2 Forever (Rayman 2 in North America), this version is a 2D side scroller, and a completely different game than all other versions of Rayman 2. It was released in June 2001 in North America and December 2001 in Europe. Nintendo DS The game was ported to the Nintendo DS under the title Rayman DS. Very few changes have been made to the game from the N64 version, with the exception of the addition of touch screen control iOS Using the engine of Rayman 2 for the Dreamcast, another port was released for Apple's iOS-based portable devices on March 1, 2010. It features landscape touch-screen controls, with a figurative analog stick on the left and two on-screen "buttons" on the right-hand side of the screen. This and the PlayStation version are the only two versions that do not have the Baby Globox minigame. PlayStation Network Ported from the PlayStation version it was released in 2008 on the PlayStation Store. This is the PS1 version and it uses all the same controls except that, on the PSP, the L2+R2 (or L1+R1, optional) has been remapped due to a lack of certain buttons. Nintendo 3DS At a Nintendo event held in Europe on January 19, 2011, Ubisoft revealed several titles in development for Nintendo 3DS, which includes a port of Rayman 2 titled Rayman 3D to be released at the system's launch. Ubisoft has confirmed that this versionis a port of the Dreamcast version, with "major updates on key game play elements such as accessibility, progression and learning curve." Development Very early into the development of Rayman 2, it was a 2-D game for the PlayStation and Sega Saturn. This was later scrapped for the 3D game that Rayman 2 became. Pictures of the 2D version and concept art (a green villain with a chainsaw) and mentions of powers such as the platform fist were published in gaming magazines such as EGM. A stage of this beta version was unlockable in the PlayStation version of Rayman 2. Reception Rayman 2 was received very well by critics and fans alike. It was applauded in most aspects: gameplay, audio, graphics and controls alike. Reviews praised the colorful, vibrant world and the varied soundtrack and varied gameplay. The reception for the Nintendo DS version (dubbed "Rayman DS") was mixed, citing graphical flaws and camera problems. While it did support controlling the game via the touchpad, this was regarded as sloppy and awkward. These problems were partly caused by the game being a direct port of the Nintendo 64 version.